Twin Peaks
by babygurl0506
Summary: Written for CCOAC's MARCH MADNESS Challenge. Morgan/Prentiss. "They are, in her mind, the twin peaks of the team." READ AND REVIEW!


**A/N:** Ok, so I have never written for Criminal Minds before; but I'm totally enamored with it and have grown to really feel a bond with each of the characters. That being said, this may or may not be in character; review and let me know what you think. I tried to be ambiguous about the nature of their relationship in this one. You could read a relationship into it if you wanted to, or you could look at it and just see close friends; either way, I hope you enjoy it! I don't have a BETA so, this hasn't been checked. Be gentle.

**Disclaimer: **I only own the DVDs… wish I could say more. :P

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**_Prompt: Twin Peaks_**

**_Pairing: Morgan/Prentiss_**

White walls surround her as she sits beside his bed, her hands folded together and elbows resting on her knees. The chair made her ass go numb long ago and she no longer cares that it will be a painful experience to stand up when he wakes. The polish on her fingernails is chipped and worn, gone from hours of picking and biting. She's found that her time in the BAU has slowly done the same to her compartmentalizing; chipped and worn at it, until it crumbled and left her with scars and burns no different than the people she and her team protect and save.

Her eyes dart along the machines he's hooked up to by wires and plastic tubing; she watches the peaks and valleys of his heartbeat and lets them lull her into a relaxed state of mind. Three hours ago they'd been on foot chasing an unsub, doing what they did best as a team, when he'd been hit. A bullet fired from the gun of a serial rapist and killer had caught him in the abdomen and taken him down. She hadn't needed to think twice before giving the chase up to Rossi and Hotch and bending over her partner and best friend. Her hands were still stained red from the blood she'd tried scrubbing off of every pore hours ago; and he still hadn't woken. The blood loss and internal trauma had been severe, but he'd been saved. He'd be okay.

That was her only salvation in this moment; the knowledge that he was going to be ok.

She sighs and leans back in the chair, closing her eyes and coming the realization that she is weirdly at home in this place. It's not the first time she's stood by the hospital bed of one of her team-mates, and she's almost positive it will not be the last. Their lives are on the line every day, and odds are usually pretty high that they could end up here.

She opens her eyes and casts a long glance at the strong, muscular frame lying in the bed and smiles sadly; he's never let the odds of getting hurt stop him. She'd never admit it to him, for fear of increasing his already padded ego, but that drive is what she admires most in him. He is always the first in the line of fire, always the first to kick in a door and clear the room, always the first to confront the suspect. She chuckles softly and ruminates over the fact that there is no one gutsier than Derek Morgan.

She likes to think she's his equal, that in some fated way, they've always been equals. Two strong, fearless, passionate people that give all of themselves and will do anything for the job and their team; overachievers in the field and out. They are, in her mind, the twin peaks of the team. They keep the other balanced, even, on kilter. When the challenge of the job presents itself, the ascend to it. They are the most dynamic duo of the team, always pushing to be better, climb higher, achieve more. They are a pair of partners that are rarely, if ever, beaten at the tasks they set out to do.

He begins to stir in the bed and she cannot help but smile warmly as his brown eyes open and meet hers. He tries to move and winces sharply at the pain that she's sure is radiating through his torso, so she stands and moves to the side of his bed, sitting next to his thighs and pressing her hand to his solid chest to ease him back onto the bed.

"You're going to tear your stitches out if you keep moving like that, Rambo."

His smile is intensely white in the harsh lighting of the room, but the warmth she gets from seeing it on his face fills her from head to toe. His hand reaches for her, palm up as he sighs, "How long was I out?"

Her hand covers his open palm and she revels in how comforting it is to feel his warm flesh against hers, palm caressing palm as she holds his hand tightly, "Long enough."

"We get him?"

She chuckles softly and shakes her head while holding his eyes, "Don't we always?"

He sighs contentedly and keeps her hand gently clasped in his, "Will you stay?"

Her answer is a gentle squeeze of his hand and affirmative nod of her head, "As long as you need me."


End file.
